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adventure, of great human m#steries and of the political and religious motives which areenergizing the )eart of Asia.

(# share in the wor' has been to induce Dr. &ssendows'i to write his stor# at this timeand to assist him in rendering his e%periences into *nglish.

+*WIS S!A !& PA+* .

CONTENTS

*-P+A A!&R &!*

BEASTS, MEN AND GODS

Par !" DRA#!NG LOTS #!T$ DEAT$

")AP!*R I

")AP!*R II

")AP!*R III

")AP!*R I/

")AP!*R /

")AP!*R /I

")AP!*R /II

")AP!*R /III

")AP!*R I-

")AP!*R -

")AP!*R -I

")AP!*R -II

")AP!*R -III

")AP!*R -I/

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")AP!*R -/

")AP!*R -/I

Par !!" T$E LAND OF DEMONS

")AP!*R -/II

")AP!*R -/III

")AP!*R -I-

")AP!*R --

")AP!*R --I

")AP!*R --II

")AP!*R --III

")AP!*R --I/

")AP!*R --/

")AP!*R --/I

")AP!*R --/II

")AP!*R --/III

Par !!!" T$E STRA!N!NG $EART OF AS!A

")AP!*R --I-

")AP!*R ---

")AP!*R ---I

")AP!*R ---II

")AP!*R ---III

")AP!*R ---I/

")AP!*R ---/

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")AP!*R ---/I

")AP!*R ---/II

")AP!*R ---/III

")AP!*R ---I-

Par !%" T$E L!%!NG B&DD$A

")AP!*R -+

")AP!*R -+I

")AP!*R -+II

")AP!*R -+III

")AP!*R -+I/

")AP!*R -+/

Par %" MYSTERY OF MYSTER!ES'T$E (!NG OF T$E #ORLD

")AP!*R -+/I

")AP!*R -+/II

")AP!*R -+/III

")AP!*R -+I-

GLOSSARY

!here are times, men and events about which )istor# alone can record the final 0udgments$ contemporaries and individual observers must onl# write what the# have seenand heard. !he ver# truth demands it.

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!I!1S +I/I1S.

BEASTS, MEN AND GODS

Par !

DRA#!NG LOTS #!T$ DEAT$

C$APTER !

!NTO T$E FORESTS

In the beginning of the #ear 2345 I happened to be living in the Siberian town of6rasno#ars', situated on the shores of the River enisei, that noble stream which iscradled in the sun7bathed mountains of (ongolia to pour its warming life into the Arctic&cean and to whose mouth ansen has twice come to open the shortest road forcommerce from *urope to the heart of Asia. !here in the depths of the still Siberianwinter I was suddenl# caught up in the whirling storm of mad revolution raging all overRussia, sowing in this peaceful and rich land vengeance, hate, bloodshed and crimes thatgo unpunished b# the law. o one could tell the hour of his fate. !he people lived fromda# to da# and left their homes not 'nowing whether the# should return to them orwhether the# should be dragged from the streets and thrown into the dungeons of thattravest# of courts, the Revolutionar# "ommittee, more terrible and more blood# thanthose of the (ediaeval In8uisition. We who were strangers in this distraught land werenot saved from its persecutions and I personall# lived through them.

&ne morning, when I had gone out to see a friend, I suddenl# received the news thattwent# Red soldiers had surrounded m# house to arrest me and that I must escape. I8uic'l# put on one of m# friend9s old hunting suits, too' some mone# and hurried awa#on foot along the bac' wa#s of the town till I struc' the open road, where I engaged a

peasant, who in four hours had driven me twent# miles from the town and set me down inthe midst of a deepl# forested region. &n the wa# I bought a rifle, three hundredcartridges, an a%, a 'nife, a sheeps'in overcoat, tea, salt, dr# bread and a 'ettle. I

penetrated into the heart of the wood to an abandoned half7burned hut. :rom this da# I became a genuine trapper but I never dreamed that I should follow this role as long as Idid. !he ne%t morning I went hunting and had the good fortune to 'ill two heathcoc'. Ifound deer trac's in plent# and felt sure that I should not want for food. )owever, m#so0ourn in this place was not for long. :ive da#s later when I returned from hunting Inoticed smo'e curling up out of the chimne# of m# hut. I stealthil# crept along closer tothe cabin and discovered two saddled horses with soldiers9 rifles slung to the saddles.!wo disarmed men were not dangerous for me with a weapon, so I 8uic'l# rushed acrossthe open and entered the hut. :rom the bench two soldiers started up in fright. !he# were

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;olshevi'i. &n their big Astra'han caps I made out the red stars of ;olshevism and ontheir blouses the dirt# red bands. We greeted each other and sat down. !he soldiers hadalread# prepared tea and so we dran' this ever welcome hot beverage and chatted,suspiciousl# e#eing one another the while. !o disarm this suspicion on their part, I toldthem that I was a hunter from a distant place and was living there because I found it good

countr# for sables. !he# announced to me that the# were soldiers of a detachment sentfrom a town into the woods to pursue all suspicious people.

Do #ou understand, 9"omrade,9 said one of them to me, we are loo'ing for counter7revolutionists to shoot themI should sa#,

before the face of ?od. )e had tried the horrors of solitude and had ac8uired facilit# in bearing them. I thought sometimes, if I had to meet m# end in this place, that I would

spend m# last strength to drag m#self to the top of the mountain to die there, loo'ingawa# over the infinite sea of mountains and forest toward the point where m# loved oneswere.

)owever, the same life gave me much matter for reflection and #et more occupation forthe ph#sical side. It was a continuous struggle for e%istence, hard and severe. !he hardestwor' was the preparation of the big logs for the naida. !he fallen trun's of the trees werecovered with snow and frozen to the ground. I was forced to dig them out and afterwards,with the help of a long stic' as a lever, to move them from their place. :or facilitating thiswor' I chose the mountain for m# supplies, where, although difficult to climb, it was eas#to roll the logs down. Soon I made a splendid discover#. I found near m# den a great

8uantit# of larch, this beautiful #et sad forest giant, fallen during a big storm. !he trun'swere covered with snow but remained attached to their stumps, where the# had bro'enoff. When I cut into these stumps with the a%, the head buried itself and could withdifficult# be drawn and, investigating the reason, I found them filled with pitch. "hips ofthis wood needed onl# a spar' to set them aflame and ever afterward I alwa#s had a stoc'of them to light up 8uic'l# for warming m# hands on returning from the hunt or for

boiling m# tea.

!he greater part of m# da#s was occupied with the hunt. I came to understand that I mustdistribute m# wor' over ever# da#, for it distracted me from m# sad and depressingthoughts. ?enerall#, after m# morning tea, I went into the forest to see' heathcoc' or

blac'coc'. After 'illing one or two I began to prepare m# dinner, which never had ane%tensive menu. It was constantl# game soup with a handful of dried bread andafterwards endless cups of tea, this essential beverage of the woods. &nce, during m#search for birds, I heard a rustle in the dense shrubs and, carefull# peering about, Idiscovered the points of a deer9s horns. I crawled along toward the spot but the watchfulanimal heard m# approach. With a great noise he rushed from the bush and I saw himver# clearl#, after he had run about three hundred steps, stop on the slope of themountain. It was a splendid animal with dar' gre# coat, with almost a blac' spine and as

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large as a small cow. I laid m# rifle across a branch and fired. !he animal made a greatleap, ran several steps and fell. With all m# strength I ran to him but he got up again andhalf 0umped, half dragged himself up the mountain. !he second shot stopped him. I hadwon a warm carpet for m# den and a large stoc' of meat. !he horns I fastened up amongthe branches of m# wall, where the# made a fine hat rac'.

I cannot forget one ver# interesting but wild picture, which was staged for me several'ilometres from m# den. !here was a small swamp covered with grass and cranberriesscattered through it, where the blac'coc' and sand partridges usuall# came to feed on the

berries. I approached noiselessl# behind the bushes and saw a whole floc' of blac'coc'scratching in the snow and pic'ing out the berries. While I was surve#ing this scene,suddenl# one of the blac'coc' 0umped up and the rest of the frightened floc' immediatel#flew awa#. !o m# astonishment the first bird began going straight up in a spiral flight andafterwards dropped directl# down dead. When I approached there sprang from the bod#of the slain coc' a rapacious ermine that hid under the trun' of a fallen tree. !he bird9snec' was badl# torn. I then understood that the ermine had charged the coc', fastened

itself on his nec' and had been carried b# the bird into the air, as he suc'ed the bloodfrom its throat, and had been the cause of the heav# fall bac' to the earth. !han's to hisaeronautic abilit# I saved one cartridge.

So I lived fighting for the morrow and more and more poisoned b# hard and bitterthoughts. !he da#s and wee's passed and soon I felt the breath of warmer winds. &n theopen places the snow began to thaw. In spots the little rivulets of water appeared.Another da# I saw a fl# or a spider awa'ened after the hard winter. !he spring wascoming. I realized that in spring it was impossible to go out from the forest. *ver# riveroverflowed its ban's$ the swamps became impassable$ all the runwa#s of the animalsturned into beds for streams of running water. I understood that until summer I was

condemned to a continuation of m# solitude. Spring ver# 8uic'l# came into her rights andsoon m# mountain was free from snow and was covered onl# with stones, the trun's of birch and aspen trees and the high cones of ant hills$ the river in places bro'e its coveringof ice and was coursing full with foam and bubbles.

C$APTER !%

A F!S$ERMAN

&ne da# during the hunt, I approached the ban' of the river and noticed man# ver# largefish with red bac's, as though filled with blood. !he# were swimming on the surfaceen0o#ing the ra#s of the sun. When the river was entirel# free from ice, these fishappeared in enormous 8uantities. Soon I realized that the# were wor'ing up7stream forthe spawning season in the smaller rivers. I thought to use a plundering method ofcatching, forbidden b# the law of all countries$ but all the law#ers and legislators should

be lenient to one who lives in a den under the roots of a fallen tree and dares to brea'their rational laws.

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?athering man# thin birch and aspen trees I built in the bed of the stream a weir whichthe fish could not pass and soon I found them tr#ing to 0ump over it. ear the ban' I left ahole in m# barrier about eighteen inches below the surface and fastened on the up7streamside a high bas'et plaited from soft willow twigs, into which the fish came as the# passedthe hole. !hen I stood cruell# b# and hit them on the head with a strong stic'. All m#

catch were over thirt# pounds, some more than eight#. !his variet# of fish is called thetaimen, is of the trout famil# and is the best in the enisei.

After two wee's the fish had passed and m# bas'et gave me no more treasure, so I begananew the hunt.

C$APTER %

A DANGERO&S NE!G$BOR

!he hunt became more and more profitable and en0o#able, as spring animated ever#thing.In the morning at the brea' of da# the forest was full of voices, strange and undiscernibleto the inhabitant of the town. !here the heathcoc' cluc'ed and sang his song of love, ashe sat on the top branches of the cedar and admired the gre# hen scratching in the fallenleaves below. It was ver# eas# to approach this full7feathered "aruso and with a shot to

bring him down from his more poetic to his more utilitarian duties. )is going out was aneuthanasia, for he was in love and heard nothing. &ut in the clearing the blac'coc's withtheir wide7spread spotted tails were fighting, while the hens strutting near, craning andchattering, probabl# some gossip about their fighting swains, watched and were delightedwith them. :rom the distance flowed in a stern and deep roar, #et full of tenderness andlove, the mating call of the deer$ while from the crags above came down the short and

bro'en voice of the mountain buc'. Among the bushes frolic'ed the hares and often nearthem a red fo% la# flattened to the ground watching his chance. I never heard an# wolvesand the# are usuall# not found in the Siberian regions covered with mountains and forest.

;ut there was another beast, who was m# neighbor, and one of us had to go awa#. &neda#, coming bac' from the hunt with a big heathcoc', I suddenl# noticed among the treesa blac', moving mass. I stopped and, loo'ing ver# attentivel#, saw a bear, digging awa#at an ant7hill. Smelling me, he snorted violentl#, and ver# 8uic'l# shuffled awa#,astonishing me with the speed of his clums# gait. !he following morning, while stilll#ing under m# overcoat, I was attracted b# a noise behind m# den. I peered out ver#carefull# and discovered the bear. )e stood on his hind legs and was noisil# sniffing,investigating the 8uestion as to what living creature had adopted the custom of the bearsof housing during the winter under the trun's of fallen trees. I shouted and struc' m#'ettle with the a%. (# earl# visitor made off with all his energ#$ but his visit did not

please me. It was ver# earl# in the spring that this occurred and the bear should not #ethave left his hibernating place. )e was the so7called ant7eater, an abnormal t#pe of bearlac'ing in all the eti8uette of the first families of the bear clan.

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I 'new that the ant7eaters were ver# irritable and audacious and 8uic'l# I preparedm#self for both the defence and the charge. (# preparations were short. I rubbed off theends of five of m# cartridges, thus ma'ing dum7dums out of them, a sufficientl#intelligible argument for so unwelcome a guest. Putting on m# coat I went to the placewhere I had first met the bear and where there were man# ant7hills. I made a detour of the

whole mountain, loo'ed in all the ravines but nowhere found m# caller. Disappointed andtired, I was approaching m# shelter 8uite off m# guard when I suddenl# discovered the'ing of the forest himself 0ust coming out of m# lowl# dwelling and sniffing all aroundthe entrance to it. I shot. !he bullet pierced his side. )e roared with pain and anger andstood up on his hind legs. As the second bullet bro'e one of these, he s8uatted down butimmediatel#, dragging the leg and endeavoring to stand upright, moved to attac' me.&nl# the third bullet in his breast stopped him. )e weighed about two hundred to twohundred fift# pounds, as near as I could guess, and was ver# tast#. )e appeared at his bestin cutlets but onl# a little less wonderful in the )amburg stea's which I rolled and roastedon hot stones, watching them swell out into great balls that were as light as the finestsouffle omelettes we used to have at the (edved in Petrograd. &n this welcome

addition to m# larder I lived from then until the ground dried out and the stream ran downenough so that I could travel down along the river to the countr# whither Ivan haddirected me.

*ver traveling with the greatest precautions I made the 0ourne# down along the river onfoot, carr#ing from m# winter 8uarters all m# household furniture and goods, wrapped upin the deers'in bag which I formed b# t#ing the legs together in an aw'ward 'not$ andthus laden fording the small streams and wading through the swamps that la# across m#

path. After fift# odd miles of this I came to the countr# called Sif'ova, where I found thecabin of a peasant named !ropoff, located closest to the forest that came to be m# naturalenvironment. With him I lived for a time.

ow in these unimaginable surroundings of safet# and peace, summing up the total of m#e%perience in the Siberian taiga, I ma'e the following deductions. In ever# health#spiritual individual of our times, occasions of necessit# resurrect the traits of primitiveman, hunter and warrior, and help him in the struggle with nature. It is the prerogative ofthe man with the trained mind and spirit over the untrained, who does not possesssufficient science and will power to carr# him through. ;ut the price that the culturedman must pa# is that for him there e%ists nothing more awful than absolute solitude andthe 'nowledge of complete isolation from human societ# and the life of moral andaesthetic culture. &ne step, one moment of wea'ness and dar' madness will seize a man

and carr# him to inevitable destruction. I spent awful da#s of struggle with the cold andhunger but I passed more terrible da#s in the struggle of the will to 'ill wea'eningdestructive thoughts. !he memories of these da#s freeze m# heart and mind and evennow, as I revive them so clearl# b# writing of m# e%periences, the# throw me bac' into astate of fear and apprehension. (oreover, I am compelled to observe that the people inhighl# civilized states give too little regard to the training that is useful to man in

primitive conditions, in conditions incident to the struggle against nature for e%istence. It

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is the single normal wa# to develop a new generation of strong, health#, iron men, with atthe same time sensitive souls.

ature destro#s the wea' but helps the strong, awa'ening in the soul emotions whichremain dormant under the urban conditions of modern life.

C$APTER %!

A R!%ER !N TRA%A!L

(# presence in the Sif'ova countr# was not for long but I used it in full measure. :irst, Isent a man in whom I had confidence and whom I considered trustworth# to m# friendsin the town that I had left and received from them linen, boots, mone# and a small case offirst aid materials and essential medicines, and, what was most important, a passport inanother name, since I was dead for the ;olshevi'i. Secondl#, in these more or lessfavorable conditions I reflected upon the plan for m# future actions. Soon in Sif'ova the

people heard that the ;olshevi' commissar would come for the re8uisition of cattle forthe Red Arm#. It was dangerous to remain longer. I waited onl# until the enisei shouldlose its massive loc' of ice, which 'ept it sealed long after the small rivulets had openedand the trees had ta'en on their spring foliage. :or one thousand roubles I engaged afisherman who agreed to ta'e me fift#7five miles up the river to an abandoned gold mineas soon as the river, which had then onl# opened in places, should be entirel# clear of ice.At last one morning I heard a deafening roar li'e a tremendous cannonade and ran out tofind the river had lifted its great bul' of ice and then given wa# to brea' it up. I rushed ondown to the ban', where I witnessed an awe7inspiring but magnificent scene. !he riverhad brought down the great volume of ice that had been dislodged in the south and wascarr#ing it northward under the thic' la#er which still covered parts of the stream untilfinall# its weight had bro'en the winter dam to the north and released the whole grandmass in one last rush for the Arctic. !he enisei, :ather enisei, )ero enisei, is oneof the longest rivers in Asia, deep and magnificent, especiall# through the middle rangeof its course, where it is flan'ed and held in can#on7li'e b# great towering ranges. !hehuge stream had brought down whole miles of ice fields, brea'ing them up on the rapidsand on isolated roc's, twisting them with angr# swirls, throwing up sections of the blac'winter roads, carr#ing down the tepees built for the use of passing caravans which in theWinter alwa#s go from (innusins' to 6rasno#ars' on the frozen river. :rom time to timethe stream stopped in its flow, the roar began and the great fields of ice were s8ueezedand piled upward, sometimes as high as thirt# feet, damming up the water behind, so thatit rapidl# rose and ran out over the low places, casting on the shore great masses of ice.!hen the power of the reinforced waters con8uered the towering dam of ice and carried itdownward with a sound li'e brea'ing glass. At the bends in the river and round the greatroc's developed terrif#ing chaos. )uge bloc's of ice 0ammed and 0ostled until some werethrown clear into the air, crashing against others alread# there, or were hurled against thecurving cliffs and ban's, tearing out boulders, earth and trees high up the sides. All alongthe low emban'ments this giant of nature flung upward with a suddenness that leavesman but a pigm# in force a great wall of ice fifteen to twent# feet high, which the

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peasants call aberega and through which the# cannot get to the river without cuttingout a road. &ne incredible feat I saw the giant perform, when a bloc' man# feet thic' andman# #ards s8uare was hurled through the air and dropped to crush saplings and littletrees more than a half hundred feet from the ban'.

Watching this glorious withdrawal of the ice, I was filled with terror and revolt at seeingthe awful spoils which the enisei bore awa# in this annual retreat. !hese were the bodies of the e%ecuted counter7revolutionaries>officers, soldiers and "ossac's of theformer arm# of the Superior ?overnor of all anti7;olshevi' Russia, Admiral 6olcha'.!he# were the results of the blood# wor' of the "he'a at (innusins'. )undreds ofthese bodies with heads and hands cut off, with mutilated faces and bodies half burned,with bro'en s'ulls, floated and mingled with the bloc's of ice, loo'ing for their graves$or, turning in the furious whirlpools among the 0agged bloc's, the# were ground and tornto pieces into shapeless masses, which the river, nauseated with its tas', vomited outupon the islands and pro0ecting sand bars. I passed the whole length of the middleenisei and constantl# came across these putrif#ing and terrif#ing reminders of the wor'

of the ;olshevi'i. In one place at a turn of the river I saw a great heap of horses, whichhad been cast up b# the ice and current, in number not less than three hundred. A verst below there I was sic'ened be#ond endurance b# the discover# of a grove of willowsalong the ban' which had ra'ed from the polluted stream and held in their finger7li'edrooping branches human bodies in all shapes and attitudes with a semblance ofnaturalness which made an everlasting picture on m# distraught mind. &f this pitifulgruesome compan# I counted sevent#.

At last the mountain of ice passed b#, followed b# the mudd# freshets that carried downthe trun's of fallen trees, logs and bodies, bodies, bodies. !he fisherman and his son putme and m# luggage into their dugout made from an aspen tree and poled upstream along

the ban'. Poling in a swift current is ver# hard wor'. At the sharp curves we werecompelled to row, struggling against the force of the stream and even in places huggingthe cliffs and ma'ing headwa# onl# b# clutching the roc's with our hands and draggingalong slowl#. Sometimes it too' us a long while to do five or si% metres through theserapid holes. In two da#s we reached the goal of our 0ourne#. I spent several da#s in thisgold mine, where the watchman and his famil# were living. As the# were short of food,the# had nothing to spare for me and conse8uentl# m# rifle again served to nourish me,as well as contributing something to m# hosts. &ne da# there appeared here a trainedagriculturalist. I did not hide because during m# winter in the woods I had raised a heav#

beard, so that probabl# m# own mother could not have recognized me. )owever, ourguest was ver# shrewd and at once deciphered me. I did not fear him because I saw thathe was not a ;olshevi' and later had confirmation of this. We found commonac8uaintances and a common viewpoint on current events. )e lived close to the goldmine in a small village where he superintended public wor's. We determined to escapetogether from Russia. :or a long time I had puzzled over this matter and now m# planwas read#. 6nowing the position in Siberia and its geograph#, I decided that the best wa#to safet# was through 1rianhai, the northern part of (ongolia on the head waters of theenisei, then through (ongolia and out to the :ar *ast and the Pacific. ;efore theoverthrow of the 6olcha' ?overnment I had received a commission to investigate

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1rianhai and Western (ongolia and then, with great accurac#, I studied all the maps andliterature I could get on this 8uestion. !o accomplish this audacious plan I had the greatincentive of m# own safet#.

C$APTER %!!T$RO&G$ SO%!ET S!BER!A

After several da#s we started through the forest on the left ban' of the enisei toward thesouth, avoiding the villages as much as possible in fear of leaving some trail b# which wemight be followed. Whenever we did have to go into them, we had a good reception atthe hands of the peasants, who did not penetrate our disguise$ and we saw that the# hatedthe ;olshevi'i, who had destro#ed man# of their villages. In one place we were told thata detachment of Red troops had been sent out from (innusins' to chase the Whites. Wewere forced to wor' far bac' from the shore of the enisei and to hide in the woods andmountains. )ere we remained nearl# a fortnight, because all this time the Red soldierswere traversing the countr# and capturing in the woods half7dressed unarmed officerswho were in hiding from the atrocious vengeance of the ;olshevi'i. Afterwards b#accident we passed a meadow where we found the bodies of twent#7eight officers hung tothe trees, with their faces and bodies mutilated. !here we determined never to allowourselves to come alive into the hands of the ;oishevi'i. !o prevent this we had ourweapons and a suppl# of c#anide of potassium.

Passing across one branch of the enisei, once we saw a narrow, mir# pass, the entranceto which was strewn with the bodies of men and horses. A little farther along we found a

bro'en sleigh with rifled bo%es and papers scattered about. ear them were also torngarments and bodies. Who were these pitiful ones< What traged# was staged in this wildwood< We tried to guess this enigma and we began to investigate the documents and

papers. !hese were official papers addressed to the Staff of ?eneral Pepelaieff. Probabl#one part of the Staff during the retreat of 6olcha'9s arm# went through this wood,striving to hide from the enem# approaching from all sides$ but here the# were caught b#the Reds and 'illed. ot far from here we found the bod# of a poor unfortunate woman,whose condition proved clearl# what had happened before relief came through the

beneficent bullet. !he bod# la# beside a shelter of branches, strewn with bottles andconserve tins, telling the tale of the bantering feast that had preceded the destruction ofthis life.

!he further we went to the south, the more pronouncedl# hospitable the people becametoward us and the more hostile to the ;olshevi'i. At last we emerged from the forests andentered the spacious vastness of the (innusins' steppes, crossed b# the high redmountain range called the 6izill76ai#a and dotted here and there with salt la'es. It is acountr# of tombs, thousands of large and small dolmens, the tombs of the earliest

proprietors of this land= p#ramids of stone ten metres high, the mar's set b# Benghiz 6hanalong his road of con8uest and afterwards b# the cripple !amerlane7!emur. !housands ofthese dolmens and stone p#ramids stretch in endless rows to the north. In these plains the

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!artars now live. !he# were robbed b# the ;olshevi'i and therefore hated them ardentl#.We openl# told them that we were escaping. !he# gave us food for nothing and suppliedus with guides, telling us with whom we might stop and where to hide in case of danger.

After several da#s we loo'ed down from the high ban' of the enisei upon the first

steamer, the &riol, from 6rasno#ars' to (innusins', laden with Red soldiers. Soon wecame to the mouth of the river !uba, which we were to follow straight east to the Sa#anmountains, where 1rianhai begins. We thought the stage along the !uba and its branch,the Am#l, the most dangerous part of our course, because the valle#s of these two rivershad a dense population which had contributed large numbers of soldiers to the celebrated"ommunist Partisans, Schetin'in and 6rafcheno.

A !artar ferried us and our horses over to the right ban' of the enisei and afterwardssent us some "ossac's at da#brea' who guided us to the mouth of the !uba, where wespent the whole da# in rest, gratif#ing ourselves with a feast of wild blac' currants andcherries.

C$APTER %!!!

T$REE DAYS ON T$E EDGE OF A PREC!P!CE

Armed with our false passports, we moved along up the valle# of the !uba. *ver# ten orfifteen versts we came across large villages of from one to si% hundred houses, where alladministration was in the hands of Soviets and where spies scrutinized all passers7b#. Wecould not avoid these villages for two reasons. :irst, our attempts to avoid them when wewere constantl# meeting the peasants in the countr# would have aroused suspicion andwould have caused an# Soviet to arrest us and send us to the "he'a in (innusins',where we should have sung our last song. Secondl#, in his documents m# fellow travelerwas granted permission to use the government post rela#s for forwarding him on his

0ourne#. !herefore, we were forced to visit the village Soviets and change our horses.&ur own mounts we had given to the !artar and "ossac' who helped us at the mouth ofthe !uba, and the "ossac' brought us in his wagon to the first village, where we receivedthe post horses. All e%cept a small minorit# of the peasants were against the ;olshevi'iand voluntaril# assisted us. I paid them for their help b# treating their sic' and m# fellowtraveler gave them practical advice in the management of their agriculture. !hose whohelped us chiefl# were the old dissenters and the "ossac's.

Sometimes we came across villages entirel# "ommunistic but ver# soon we learned todistinguish them. When we entered a village with our horse bells tin'ling and found the

peasants who happened to be sitting in front of their houses read# to get up with a frownand a grumble that here were more new devils coming, we 'new that this was a villageopposed to the "ommunists and that here we could stop in safet#. ;ut, if the peasantsapproached and greeted us with pleasure, calling us "omrades, we 'new at once thatwe were among the enem# and too' great precautions. Such villages were inhabited b#

people who were not the Siberian libert#7loving peasants but b# emigrants from the

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1'raine, idle and drun', living in poor dirt# huts, though their village were surroundedwith the blac' and fertile soil of the steppes. /er# dangerous and pleasant moments wespent in the large village of 6aratuz. It is rather a town. In the #ear 2324 two collegeswere opened here and the population reached 2C,555 people. It is the capital of the Southenisei "ossac's. ;ut b# now it is ver# difficult to recognize this town. !he peasant

emigrants and Red arm# murdered all the "ossac' population and destro#ed and burnedmost of the houses$ and it is at present the center of ;olshevism and "ommunism in theeastern part of the (innusins' district. In the building of the Soviet, where we came toe%change our horses, there was being held a meeting of the "he'a. We wereimmediatel# surrounded and 8uestioned about our documents. We were not an# too calmabout the impression which might be made b# our papers and attempted to avoid thise%amination. (# fellow traveler afterwards often said to me=

It is great good fortune that among the ;olshevi'i the good7for7nothing shoema'er of#esterda# is the ?overnor of toda# and scientists sweep the streets or clean the stables ofthe Red cavalr#. I can tal' with the ;olshevi'i because the# do not 'now the difference

between 9disinfection9 and 9diphtheria,9 9anthracite9 and 9appendicitis9 and can tal' themround in all things, even up to persuading them not to put a bullet into me.

And so we tal'ed the members of the "he'a round to ever#thing that we wanted. We presented to them a bright scheme for the future development of their district, when wewould build the roads and bridges which would allow them to e%port the wood from1rianhai, iron and gold from the Sa#an (ountains, cattle and furs from (ongolia. Whata triumph of creative wor' for the Soviet ?overnment@ &ur ode occupied about an hourand afterwards the members of the "he'a, forgetting about our documents, personall#changed our horses, placed our luggage on the wagon and wished us success. It was thelast ordeal within the borders of Russia.

When we had crossed the valle# of the river Am#l, )appiness smiled on us. ear theferr# we met a member of the militia from 6aratuz. )e had on his wagon several riflesand automatic pistols, mostl# (ausers, for outfitting an e%pedition through 1rianhai in8uest of some "ossac' officers who had been greatl# troubling the ;olshevi'i. We stoodupon our guard. We could ver# easil# have met this e%pedition and we were not 8uiteassured that the soldiers would be so appreciative of our high7sounding phrases as werethe members of the "he'a. "arefull# 8uestioning the militiaman, we ferreted out theroute their e%pedition was to ta'e. In the ne%t village we sta#ed in the same house withhim. I had to open m# luggage and suddenl# I noticed his admiring glance fi%ed upon m#

bag.

What pleases #ou so much< I as'ed.

)e whispered= !rousers . . . !rousers.

I had received from m# townsmen 8uite new trousers of blac' thic' cloth for riding.!hose trousers attracted the rapt attention of the militiaman.

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If #ou have no other trousers. . . . I remar'ed, reflecting upon m# plan of attac' againstm# new friend.

o, he e%plained with sadness, the Soviet does not furnish trousers. !he# tell me the#also go without trousers. And m# trousers are absolutel# worn out. +oo' at them.

With these words he threw bac' the corner of his overcoat and I was astonished how hecould 'eep himself inside these trousers, for the# had such large holes that the# weremore of a net than trousers, a net through which a small shar' could have slipped.

Sell me, he whispered, with a 8uestion in his voice.

I cannot, for I need them m#self, I answered decisivel#.

)e reflected for a few minutes and afterward, approaching me, said= +et us go out doorsand tal'. )ere it is inconvenient.

We went outside. ow, what about it< he began. ou are going into 1rianhai. !herethe Soviet ban'7notes have no value and #ou will not be able to bu# an#thing, wherethere are plent# of sables, fo%7s'ins, ermine and gold dust to be purchased, which the#ver# willingl# e%change for rifles and cartridges. ou have each of #ou a rifle and I willgive #ou one more rifle with a hundred cartridges if #ou give me the trousers.

We do not need weapons. We are protected b# our documents, I answered, as though Idid not understand.

;ut no, he interrupted, #ou can change that rifle there into furs and gold. I shall give

#ou that rifle outright.

Ah, that9s it, is it< ;ut it9s ver# little for those trousers. owhere in Russia can #ou nowfind trousers. All Russia goes without trousers and for #our rifle I should receive a sableand what use to me is one s'inand a #oung goat. We spent the night here and were feasted with fat mutton. Inthe morning we moved off under the guidance of the old So#ot along the trail that

followed the valle# of the na, free from both mountains and swamps. ;ut we 'newthat the mounts of m# friend and m#self, together with three others, were too worn downto ma'e 6osogol and determined to tr# to bu# others in Sold0a'. Soon we began to meetlittle groups of So#ot #urtas with their cattle and horses round about. :inall# weapproached the shifting capital of the Prince. &ur guide rode on ahead for the parle# withhim after assuring us that the Prince would be glad to welcome the !a +ama, though atthe time I remar'ed great an%iet# and fear in his features as he spo'e. ;efore long weemerged on to a large plain well covered with small bushes. Down b# the shore of theriver we made out big #urtas with #ellow and blue flags floating over them and easil#guessed that this was the seat of government. Soon our guide returned to us. )is face waswreathed with smiles. )e flourished his hands and cried=

o#on the PrinceE as's #ou to come@ )e is ver# glad@

:rom a warrior I was forced to change m#self into a diplomat. As we approached the#urta of the Prince, we were met b# two officials, wearing the pea'ed (ongol caps with

peacoc' feathers rampants behind. With low obeisances the# begged the foreign o#onto enter the #urta. (# friend the !artar and I entered. In the rich #urta draped withe%pensive sil' we discovered a feeble, wizen7faced little old man with shaven face andcropped hair, wearing also a high pointed beaver cap with red sil' ape% topped off with adar' red button with the long peacoc' feathers streaming out behind. &n his nose were

big "hinese spectacles. )e was sitting on a low divan, nervousl# clic'ing the beads of hisrosar#. !his was !a +ama, Prince of Sold0a' and )igh Priest of the ;uddhist !emple. )ewelcomed us ver# cordiall# and invited us to sit down before the fire burning in thecopper brazier. )is surprisingl# beautiful Princess served us with tea and "hineseconfections and ca'es. We smo'ed our pipes, though the Prince as a +ama did notindulge, fulfilling, however, his dut# as a host b# raising to his lips the pipes we offeredhim and handing us in return the green nephrite bottle of snuff. !hus with the eti8uetteaccomplished we awaited the words of the Prince. )e in8uired whether our travels had

been felicitous and what were our further plans. I tal'ed with him 8uite fran'l# and

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re8uested his hospitalit# for the rest of our compan# and for the horses. )e agreedimmediatel# and ordered four #urtas set up for us.

I hear that the foreign o#on, the Prince said, is a good doctor.

es, I 'now some diseases and have with me some medicines, I answered, but I amnot a doctor. I am a scientist in other branches.

;ut the Prince did not understand this. In his simple directness a man who 'nows how totreat disease is a doctor.

(# wife has had constant trouble for two months with her e#es, he announced. )elpher.

I as'ed the Princess to show me her e#es and I found the t#pical con0unctivitis from thecontinual smo'e of the #urta and the general uncleanliness. !he !artar brought me m#

medicine case. I washed her e#es with boric acid and dropped a little cocaine and a feeblesolution of sulphurate of zinc into them.

I beg #ou to cure me, pleaded the Princess. Do not go awa# until #ou have cured me.We shall give #ou sheep, mil' and flour for all #our compan#. I weep now ver# often

because I had ver# nice e#es and m# husband used to tell me the# shone li'e the stars andnow the# are red. I cannot bear it, I cannot@

She ver# capriciousl# stamped her foot and, co8uettishl# smiling at me, as'ed=

Do #ou want to cure me< esridges studded with dar' roc's set in great ban's of the whitemantle that gleamed bright under the clear sunshine. !hese were the eastern and highest

branches of the !annu &la s#stem. We spent the night beneath this wood and began the passage of it in the morning. At noon the guide began leading us b# zigzags in and out but ever#where our trail was bloc'ed b# deep ravines, great 0ams of fallen trees and wallsof roc' caught in their mad tobogganings from the mountain top. We struggled forseveral hours, wore out our horses and, all of a sudden, turned up at the place where wehad made our last halt. It was ver# evident our So#ot had lost his wa#$ and on his face Inoticed mar'ed fear.

!he old devils of the cursed forest will not allow us to pass, he whispered withtrembling lips. It is a ver# ominous sign. We must return to 6harga to the o#on.

;ut I threatened him and he too' the lead again evidentl# without hope or effort to findthe wa#. :ortunatel#, one of our part#, an 1rianhai hunter, noticed the blazes on the trees,the signs of the road which our guide had lost. :ollowing these, we made our wa#through the wood, came into and crossed a belt of burned larch timber and be#ond thisdipped again into a small live forest bordering the bottom of the mountains crowned withthe eternal snows. It grew dar' so that we had to camp for the night. !he wind rose highand carried in its grasp a great white sheet of snow that shut us off from the horizon onever# side and buried our camp deep in its folds. &ur horses stood round li'e white

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ghosts, refusing to eat or to leave the circle round our fire. !he wind combed their manesand tails. !hrough the niches in the mountains it roared and whistled. :rom somewhere inthe distance came the low rumble of a pac' of wolves, punctuated at intervals b# thesharp individual bar'ing that a favorable gust of wind threw up into high staccato.

As we la# b# the fire, the So#ot came over to me and said= o#on, come with me to theobo. I want to show #ou something.

We went there and began to ascend the mountain. At the bottom of a ver# steep slope waslaid up a large pile of stones and tree trun's, ma'ing a cone of some three metres inheight. !hese obo are the +amaite sacred signs set up at dangerous places, the altars tothe bad demons, rulers of these places. Passing So#ots and (ongols pa# tribute to thespirits b# hanging on the branches of the trees in the obo hat#', long streamers of bluesil', shreds torn from the lining of their coats or simpl# tufts of hair cut from their horses9manes$ or b# placing on the stones lumps of meat or cups of tea and salt.

+oo' at it, said the So#ot. !he hat#'s are torn off. !he demons are angr#, the# will notallow us to pass, o#on. . . .

)e caught m# hand and with supplicating voice whispered= +et us go bac', o#on$ letus@ !he demons do not wish us to pass their mountains. :or twent# #ears no one hasdared to pass these mountains and all bold men who have tried have perished here. !hedemons fell upon them with snowstorm and cold. +oo'@ It is beginning alread#. . . . ?o

bac' to our o#on, wait for the warmer da#s and then. . . .

I did not listen further to the So#ot but turned bac' to the fire, which I could hardl# seethrough the blinding snow. :earing our guide might run awa#, I ordered a sentr# to be

stationed for the night to watch him. +ater in the night I was awa'ened b# the sentr#, whosaid to me= (a#be I am mista'en, but I thin' I heard a rifle.

What could I sa# to it< (a#be some stragglers li'e ourselves were giving a sign of theirwhereabouts to their lost companions, or perhaps the sentr# had mista'en for a rifle shotthe sound of some falling roc' or frozen ice and snow. Soon I fell asleep again andsuddenl# saw in a dream a ver# clear vision. &ut on the plain, blan'eted deep with snow,was moving a line of riders. !he# were our pac' horses, our 6almuc' and the funn# piedhorse with the Roman nose. I saw us descending from this snow# plateau into a fold inthe mountains. )ere some larch trees were growing, close to which gurgled a small, open

broo'. Afterwards I noticed a fire burning among the trees and then wo'e up.

It grew light. I shoo' up the others and as'ed them to prepare 8uic'l# so as not to losetime in getting under wa#. !he storm was raging. !he snow blinded us and blotted out alltraces of the road. !he cold also became more intense. At last we were in the saddles. !heSo#ot went ahead tr#ing to ma'e out the trail. As we wor'ed higher the guide less seldomlost the wa#. :re8uentl# we fell into deep holes covered with snow$ we scrambled upover slipper# roc's. At last the So#ot swung his horse round and, coming up to me,announced ver# positivel#= I do not want to die with #ou and I will not go further.

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(# first motion was the swing of m# whip bac' over m# head. I was so close to thePromised +and of (ongolia that this So#ot, standing in the wa# of fulfilment of m#wishes, seemed to me m# worst enem#. ;ut I lowered m# flourishing hand. Into m# headflashed a 8uite wild thought.

+isten, I said. If #ou move #our horses, #ou will receive a bullet in the bac' and #ouwill perish not at the top of the mountain but at the bottom. And now I will tell #ou whatwill happen to us. When we shall have reached these roc's above, the wind will haveceased and the snowstorm will have subsided. !he sun will shine as we cross the snow#

plain above and afterwards we shall descend into a small valle# where there are larchesgrowing and a stream of open running water. !here we shall light our fires and spend thenight.

!he So#ot began to tremble with fright.

o#on has alread# passed these mountains of Dar'hat &la< he as'ed in amazement.

o, I answered, but last night I had a vision and I 'now that we shall fortunatel# winover this ridge.

I will guide #ou@ e%claimed the So#ot, and, whipping his horse, led the wa# up thesteep slope to the top of the ridge of eternal snows.

As we were passing along the narrow edge of a precipice, the So#ot stopped andattentivel# e%amined the trail.

!oda# man# shod horses have passed here@ he cried through the roar of the storm.

onder on the snow the lash of a whip has been dragged. !hese are not So#ots.

!he solution of this enigma appeared instantl#. A volle# rang out. &ne of m# companionscried out, as he caught hold of his right shoulder$ one pac' horse fell dead with a bullet

behind his ear. We 8uic'l# tumbled out of our saddles, la# down behind the roc's and began to stud# the situation. We were separated from a parallel spur of the mountain b# asmall valle# about one thousand paces across. !here we made out about thirt# ridersalread# dismounted and firing at us. I had never allowed an# fighting to be done until theinitiative had been ta'en b# the other side. &ur enem# fell upon us unawares and Iordered m# compan# to answer.

Aim at the horses@ cried "olonel &strovs'#. !hen he ordered the !artar and So#ot tothrow our own animals. We 'illed si% of theirs and probabl# wounded others, as the# gotout of control. Also our rifles too' toll of an# bold man who showed his head from

behind his roc'. We heard the angr# shouting and maledictions of Red soldiers who shotup our position more and more animatedl#.

Suddenl# I saw our So#ot 'ic' up three of the horses and spring into the saddle of onewith the others in leash behind. ;ehind him sprang up the !artar and the 6almuc'. I had

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alread# drawn m# rifle on the So#ot but, as soon as I saw the !artar and 6almuc' ontheir lovel# horses behind him, I dropped m# gun and 'new all was well. !he Reds let offa volle# at the trio but the# made good their escape behind the roc's and disappeared.!he firing continued more and more livel# and I did not 'now what to do. :rom our sidewe shot rarel#, saving our cartridges. Watching carefull# the enem#, I noticed two blac'

points on the snow high above the Reds. !he# slowl# approached our antagonists andfinall# were hidden from view behind some sharp hilloc's. When the# emerged fromthese, the# were right on the edge of some overhanging roc's at the foot of which theReds la# concealed from us. ;# this time I had no doubt that these were the heads of twomen. Suddenl# these men rose up and I watched them flourish and throw something thatwas followed b# two deafening roars which re7echoed across the mountain valle#.Immediatel# a third e%plosion was followed b# wild shouts and disorderl# firing amongthe Reds. Some of the horses rolled down the slope into the snow below and the soldiers,chased b# our shots, made off as fast as the# could down into the valle# out of which wehad come.

Afterward the !artar told me the So#ot had proposed to guide them around behind theReds to fall upon their rear with the bombs. When I had bound up the wounded shoulderof the officer and we had ta'en the pac' off the 'illed animal, we continued our 0ourne#.&ur position was complicated. We had no doubt that the Red detachment came up from(ongolia. !herefore, were there Red troops in (ongolia< What was their strengthall of these valuable supplies to help us 'eep further hold on our lives.

!wo da#s later we were approaching the shore of the River 1ri when we met two Russianriders, who were the "ossac's of a certain Ataman Sutunin, acting against the ;olshevi'iin the valle# of the River Selenga. !he# were riding to carr# a message from Sutunin to6aigorodoff, chief of the Anti7;olshevi'i in the Altai region. !he# informed us thatalong the whole Russian7(ongolian border the ;olshevi' troops were scattered$ also that"ommunist agitators had penetrated to 6ia'hta, 1lan'om and 6obdo and had persuadedthe "hinese authorities to surrender to the Soviet authorities all the refugees from Russia.We 'new that in the neighborhood of 1rga and /an 6ure engagements were ta'ing place

between the "hinese troops and the detachments of the Anti7;olshevi' Russian ?eneral;aron 1ngern Sternberg and "olonel 6azagrandi, who were fighting for theindependence of &uter (ongolia. ;aron 1ngern had now been twice defeated, so that the

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"hinese were carr#ing on high7handed in 1rga, suspecting all foreigners of havingrelations with the Russian ?eneral.

We realized that the whole situation was sharpl# reversed. !he route to the Pacific wasclosed. Reflecting ver# carefull# over the problem, I decided that we had but one possible

e%it left. We must avoid all (ongolian cities with "hinese administration, cross(ongolia from north to south, traverse the desert in the southern part of the Principalit#of Bassa'tu 6han, enter the ?obi in the western part of Inner (ongolia, stri'e as rapidl#as possible through si%t# miles of "hinese territor# in the Province of 6ansu and

penetrate into !ibet. )ere I hoped to search out one of the *nglish "onsuls and with hishelp to reach some *nglish port in India. I understood thoroughl# all the difficultiesincident to such an enterprise but I had no other choice. It onl# remained to ma'e this lastfoolish attempt or to perish without doubt at the hands of the ;oishevi'i or languish in a"hinese prison. When I announced m# plan to m# companions, without in an# wa#hiding from them all its dangers and 8ui%otism, all of them answered ver# 8uic'l# andshortl#= +ead us@ We will follow.

&ne circumstance was distinctl# in our favor. We did not fear hunger, for we had somesupplies of tea, tobacco and matches and a surplus of horses, saddles, rifles, overcoatsand boots, which were an e%cellent currenc# for e%change. So then we began to initiatethe plan of the new e%pedition. We should start to the south, leaving the town of1liassutai on our right and ta'ing the direction of aganlu', then pass through the wastelands of the district of ;alir of Bassa'tu 6han, cross the aron 6huhu ?obi and stri'e forthe mountains of ;oro. )ere we should be able to ta'e a long rest to recuperate thestrength of our horses and of ourselves. !he second section of our 0ourne# would be the

passage through the western part of Inner (ongolia, through the +ittle ?obi, through thelands of the !orguts, over the 6hara (ountains, across 6ansu, where our road must be

chosen to the west of the "hinese town of Suchow. :rom there we should have to enterthe Dominion of 6u'u or and then wor' on southward to the head waters of theangtze River. ;e#ond this I had but a haz# notion, which however I was able to verif#from a map of Asia in the possession of one of the officers, to the effect that the mountainchains to the west of the sources of the angtze separated that river s#stem from the

basin of the ;rahmaputra in !ibet Proper, where I e%pected to be able to find *nglishassistance.

C$APTER X%

T$E MARC$ OF G$OSTS

In no other wa# can I describe the 0ourne# from the River *ro to the border of !ibet.About eleven hundred miles through the snow# steppes, over mountains and acrossdeserts we traveled in fort#7eight da#s. We hid from the people as we 0ourne#ed, madeshort stops in the most desolate places, fed for whole wee's on nothing but raw, frozenmeat in order to avoid attracting attention b# the smo'e of fires. Whenever we needed to

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purchase a sheep or a steer for our suppl# department, we sent out onl# two unarmed menwho represented to the natives that the# were the wor'men of some Russian colonists.We even feared to shoot, although we met a great herd of antelopes numbering as man#as five thousand head. ;ehind ;alir in the lands of the +ama Bassa'tu 6han, who hadinherited his throne as a result of the poisoning of his brother at 1rga b# order of the

+iving ;uddha, we met wandering Russian !artars who had driven their herds all thewa# from Altai and Aba'an. !he# welcomed us ver# cordiall#, gave us o%en and thirt#7si% bric's of tea. Also the# saved us from inevitable destruction, for the# told us that atthis season it was utterl# impossible for horses to ma'e the trip across the ?obi, wherethere was no grass at all. We must bu# camels b# e%changing for them our horses andsome other of our bartering supplies. &ne of the !artars the ne%t da# brought to theircamp a rich (ongol with whom he drove the bargain for this trade. )e gave us nineteencamels and too' all our horses, one rifle, one pistol and the best "ossac' saddle. )eadvised us b# all means to visit the sacred (onaster# of arabanchi, the last +amaitemonaster# on the road from (ongolia to !ibet. )e told us that the )ol# )utu'tu, theIncarnate ;uddha, would be greatl# offended if we did not visit the monaster# and his

famous Shrine of ;lessings, where all travelers going to !ibet alwa#s offered pra#ers.&ur 6almuc' +amaite supported the (ongol in this. I decided to go there with the6almuc'. !he !artars gave me some big sil' hat#' as presents and loaned us foursplendid horses. Although the monaster# was fift#7five miles distant, b# nine o9cloc' inthe evening I entered the #urta of this hol# )utu'tu.

)e was a middle7aged, clean shaven, spare little man, laboring under the name of Bel#bD0amsrap )utu'tu. )e received us ver# cordiall# and was greatl# pleased with the

presentation of the hat#' and with m# 'nowledge of the (ongol eti8uette in which m#!artar had been long and persistentl# instructing me. )e listened to me most attentivel#and gave valuable advice about the road, presenting me then with a ring which has since

opened for me the doors of all +amaite monasteries. !he name of this )utu'tu is highl#esteemed not onl# in all (ongolia but in !ibet and in the +amaite world of "hina. Wespent the night in his splendid #urta and on the following morning visited the shrineswhere the# were conducting ver# solemn services with the music of gongs, tom7toms andwhistling. !he +amas with their deep voices were intoning the pra#ers while the lesser

priests answered with their antiphonies. !he sacred phrase= &m@ (ani padme )ung@was endlessl# repeated.

!he )utu'tu wished us success, presented us with a large #ellow hat#' and accompaniedus to the monaster# gate. When we were in our saddles he said=

Remember that #ou are alwa#s welcome guests here. +ife is ver# complicated andan#thing ma# happen. Perhaps #ou will be forced in future to re7visit distant (ongoliaand then do not miss arabanchi 6ure.

!hat night we returned to the !artars and the ne%t da# continued our 0ourne#. As I wasver# tired, the slow, eas# motion of the camel was welcome and restful to me. All the da#I dozed off at intervals to sleep. It turned out to be ver# disastrous for me$ for, when m#camel was going up the steep ban' of a river, in one of m# naps I fell off and hit m# head

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on a stone, lost consciousness and wo'e up to find m# overcoat covered with blood. (#friends surrounded me with their frightened faces. !he# bandaged m# head and westarted off again. I onl# learned long afterwards from a doctor who e%amined me that Ihad crac'ed m# s'ull as the price of m# siesta.

We crossed the eastern ranges of the Altai and the 6arli' !ag, which are the mostoriental sentinels the great !ian Shan s#stem throws out into the regions of the ?obi$ andthen traversed from the north to the south the entire width of the 6huhu ?obi. Intensecold ruled all this time and fortunatel# the frozen sands gave us better speed. ;efore

passing the 6hara range, we e%changed our roc'ing7chair steeds for horses, a deal inwhich the !orguts s'inned us badl# li'e the true old clothes men the# are.

S'irting around these mountains we entered 6ansu. It was a dangerous move, for the"hinese were arresting all refugees and I feared for m# Russian fellow7travelers. Duringthe da#s we hid in the ravines, the forests and bushes, ma'ing forced marches at night.:our da#s we thus used in this passage of 6ansu. !he few "hinese peasants we did

encounter were peaceful appearing and most hospitable. A mar'ed s#mpathetic interestsurrounded the 6almuc', who could spea' a bit of "hinese, and m# bo% of medicines.*ver#where we found man# ill people, chiefl# afflicted with e#e troubles, rheumatismand s'in diseases.

As we were approaching an Shan, the northeast branch of the Alt#n !ag which is inturn the east branch of the Pamir and 6ara'horum s#stemE, we overhauled a largecaravan of "hinese merchants going to !ibet and 0oined them. :or three da#s we werewinding through the endless ravine7li'e valle#s of these mountains and ascending thehigh passes. ;ut we noticed that the "hinese 'new how to pic' the easiest routes forcaravans over all these difficult places. In a state of semi7consciousness I made this

whole 0ourne# toward the large group of swamp# la'es, feeding the 6o'o or and awhole networ' of large rivers. :rom fatigue and constant nervous strain, probabl# helped b# the blow on m# head, I began suffering from sharp attac's of chills and fever, burningup at times and then chattering so with m# teeth that I frightened m# horse who severaltimes threw me from the saddle. I raved, cried out at times and even wept. I called m#famil# and instructed them how the# must come to me. I remember as though through adream how I was ta'en from the horse b# m# companions, laid on the ground, suppliedwith "hinese brand# and, when I recovered a little, how the# said to me=

!he "hinese merchants are heading for the west and we must travel south.

o@ !o the north, I replied ver# sharpl#.

;ut no, to the south, m# companions assured me.

?od and the Devil@ I angril# e0aculated, we have 0ust swum the +ittle enisei andAlg#a' is to the north@

We are in !ibet, remonstrated m# companions. We must reach the ;rahmaputra.

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;rahmaputra. . . . ;rahmaputra. . . . !his word revolved in m# fier# brain, made a terriblenoise and commotion. Suddenl# I remembered ever#thing and opened m# e#es. I hardl#moved m# lips and soon I again lost consciousness. (# companions brought me to themonaster# of Shar'he, where the +ama doctor 8uic'l# brought me round with a solutionof fatil or "hinese ginseng. In discussing our plans he e%pressed grave doubt as to

whether we would get through !ibet but he did not wish to e%plain to me the reason forhis doubts.

C$APTER X%!

!N MYSTER!O&S T!BET

A fairl# broad road led out from Shar'he through the mountains and on the fifth da# ofour two wee's9 march to the south from the monaster# we emerged into the great bowl ofthe mountains in whose center la# the large la'e of 6o'o or. If :inland deserves theordinar# title of the +and of !en !housand +a'es, the dominion of 6o'o or ma#certainl# with 0ustice be called the "ountr# of a (illion +a'es. We s'irted this la'e onthe west between it and Doulan 6itt, zigzagging between the numerous swamps, la'esand small rivers, deep and mir#. !he water was not here covered with ice and onl# on thetops of the mountains did we feel the cold winds sharpl#. We rarel# met the natives of thecountr# and onl# with greatest difficult# did our 6almuc' learn the course of the roadfrom the occasional shepherds we passed. :rom the eastern shore of the +a'e of !assounwe wor'ed round to a monaster# on the further side, where we stopped for a short rest.;esides ourselves there was also another group of guests in the hol# place. !hese were!ibetans. !heir behavior was ver# impertinent and the# refused to spea' with us. !he#were all armed, chiefl# with the Russian militar# rifles and were draped with crossed

bandoliers of cartridges with two or three pistols stowed beneath belts with morecartridges stic'ing out. !he# e%amined us ver# sharpl# and we readil# realized that the#were estimating our martial strength. After the# had left on that same da# I ordered our6almuc' to in8uire from the )igh Priest of the temple e%actl# who the# were. :or a longtime the mon' gave evasive answers but when I showed him the ring of )utu'tu

arabanchi and presented him with a large #ellow hat#', he became morecommunicative.

!hose are bad people, he e%plained. )ave a care of them.

)owever, he was not willing to give their names, e%plaining his refusal b# citing the +awof ;uddhist lands against pronouncing the name of one9s father, teacher or chief.Afterwards I found out that in orth !ibet there e%ists the same custom as in orth"hina. )ere and there bands of hunghutze wander about. !he# appear at the head8uartersof the leading trading firms and at the monasteries, claim tribute and after theircollections become the protectors of the district. Probabl# this !ibetan monaster# had inthis band 0ust such protectors.

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When we continued our trip, we fre8uentl# noticed single horsemen far awa# or on thehorizon, apparentl# stud#ing our movements with care. All our attempts to approachthem and enter into conversation with them were entirel# unsuccessful. &n their speed#little horses the# disappeared li'e shadows. As we reached the steep and difficult Pass onthe )amshan and were preparing to spend the night there, suddenl# far up on a ridge

above us appeared about fort# horsemen with entirel# white mounts and without formalintroduction or warning spattered us with a hail of bullets. !wo of our officers fell with acr#. &ne had been instantl# 'illed while the other lived some few minutes. I did not allowm# men to shoot but instead I raised a white flag and started forward with the 6almuc'for a parle#. At first the# fired two shots at us but then ceased firing and sent down agroup of riders from the ridge toward us. We began the parle#. !he !ibetans e%plainedthat )amshan is a hol# mountain and that here one must not spend the night, advising usto proceed farther where we could consider ourselves in safet#. !he# in8uired from uswhence we came and whither we were going, stated in answer to our information aboutthe purpose of our 0ourne# that the# 'new the ;olshevi'i and considered them theliberators of the people of Asia from the #o'e of the white race. I certainl# did not want

to begin a political 8uarrel with them and so turned bac' to our companions. Riding downthe slope toward our camp, I waited momentaril# for a shot in the bac' but the !ibetanhunghutze did not shoot.

We moved forward, leaving among the stones the bodies of two of our companions as sadtribute to the difficulties and dangers of our 0ourne#. We rode all night, with oure%hausted horses constantl# stopping and some l#ing down under us, but we forced themever onward. At last, when the sun was at its zenith, we finall# halted. Withoutunsaddling our horses, we gave them an opportunit# to lie down for a little rest. ;efore usla# a broad, swamp# plain, where was evidentl# the sources of the river (a7chu. ot far

be#ond la# the +a'e of Aroung or. We made our fire of cattle dung and began boiling

water for our tea. Again without an# warning the bullets came raining in from all sides.Immediatel# we too' cover behind convenient roc's and waited developments. !he firing became faster and closer, the raiders appeared on the whole circle round us and the bullets came ever in increasing numbers. We had fallen into a trap and had no hope but to perish. We realized this clearl#. I tried anew to begin the parle#$ but when I stood up withm# white flag, the answer was onl# a thic'er rain of bullets and unfortunatel# one ofthese, ricocheting off a roc', struc' me in the left leg and lodged there. At the samemoment another one of our compan# was 'illed. We had no other choice and were forcedto begin fighting. !he struggle continued for about two hours. ;esides m#self threeothers received slight wounds. We resisted as long as we could. !he hunghutzeapproached and our situation became desperate.

!here9s no choice, said one of m# associates, a ver# e%pert "olonel. We must mountand ride for it . . . an#where.

An#where. . . . It was a terrible word@ We consulted for but an instant. It was apparentthat with this band of cut7throats behind us the farther we went into !ibet, the less chancewe had of saving our lives.

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We decided to return to (ongolia. ;ut how< !hat we did not 'now. And thus we beganour retreat. :iring all the time, we trotted our horses as fast as we could toward the north.&ne after another three of m# companions fell. !here la# m# !artar with a bullet throughhis nec'. After him two #oung and fine stalwart officers were carried from their saddleswith cries of death, while their scared horses bro'e out across the plain in wild fear,

perfect pictures of our distraught selves. !his emboldened the !ibetans, who becamemore and more audacious. A bullet struc' the buc'le on the an'le strap of m# right footand carried it, with a piece of leather and cloth, into m# leg 0ust above the an'le. (# oldand much tried friend, the agronome, cried out as he grasped his shoulder and then I sawhim wiping and bandaging as best as he could his bleeding forehead. A second afterwardour 6almuc' was hit twice right through the palm of the same hand, so that it wasentirel# shattered. Bust at this moment fifteen of the hunghutze rushed against us in acharge.

Shoot at them with volle# fire@ commanded our "olonel.

Si% robber bodies la# on the turf, while two others of the gang were unhorsed and ranscampering as fast as the# could after their retreating fellows. Several minutes later thefire of our antagonists ceased and the# raised a white flag. !wo riders came forwardtoward us. In the parle# it developed that their chief had been wounded through the chestand the# came to as' us to render first aid. At once I saw a ra# of hope. I too' m# bo%of medicines and m# groaning, cursing, wounded 6almuc' to interpret for me.

?ive that devil some c#anide of potassium, urged m# companions.

;ut I devised another scheme.

We were led to the wounded chief. !here he la# on the saddle cloths among the roc's,represented to us to be a !ibetan but I at once recognized him from his cast ofcountenance to be a Sart or !urcoman, probabl# from the southern part of !ur'estan. )eloo'ed at me with a begging and frightened gaze. *%amining him, I found the bullet had

passed through his chest from left to right, that he had lost much blood and was ver#wea'. "onscientiousl# I did all that I could for him. In the first place I tried on m# owntongue all the medicines to be used on him, even the iodoform, in order to demonstratethat there was no poison among them. I cauterized the wound with iodine, sprin'led itwith iodoform and applied the bandages. I ordered that the wounded man be not touchednor moved and that he be left right where he la#. !hen I taught a !ibetan how thedressing must be changed and left with him medicated cotton, bandages and a littleiodoform. !o the patient, in whom the fever was alread# developing, I gave a big dose ofaspirin and left several tablets of 8uinine with them. Afterwards, addressing m#self to the

b#standers through m# 6almuc', I said ver# solemnl#=

!he wound is ver# dangerous but I gave to #our "hief ver# strong medicine and hopethat he will recover. &ne condition, however, is necessar#= the bad demons which haverushed to his side for his unwarranted attac' upon us innocent travelers will instantl# 'ill

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him, if another shot is let off against us. ou must not even 'eep a single cartridge in#our rifles.

With these words I ordered the 6almuc' to empt# his rifle and I, at the same time, too'all the cartridges out of m# (auser. !he !ibetans instantl# and ver# servilel# followed

m# e%ample.

Remember that I told #ou= 9*leven da#s and eleven nights do not move from this placeand do not charge #our rifles.9 &therwise the demon of death will snatch off #our "hiefand will pursue #ou@ >and with these words I solemnl# drew forth and raised abovetheir heads the ring of )utu'tu arabanchi.

I returned to m# companions and calmed them. I told them we were safe against furtherattac' from the robbers and that we must onl# guess the wa# to reach (ongolia. &urhorses were so e%hausted and thin that on their bones we could have hung our overcoats.We spent two da#s here, during which time I fre8uentl# visited m# patient. It also gave us

opportunit# to bandage our own fortunatel# light wounds and to secure a little rest$though unfortunatel# I had nothing but a 0ac''nife with which to dig the bullet out of m#left calf and the shoema'er9s accessories from m# right an'le. In8uiring from the

brigands about the caravan roads, we soon made our wa# out to one of the main routesand had the good fortune to meet there the caravan of the #oung (ongol Prince Pounzig,who was on a hol# mission carr#ing a message from the +iving ;uddha in 1rga to theDalai +ama in +hasa. )e helped us to purchase horses, camels and food.

With all our arms and supplies spent in barter during the 0ourne# for the purchase oftransport and food, we returned stripped and bro'en to the arabanchi (onaster#, wherewe were welcomed b# the )utu'tu.

I 'new #ou would come bac', said he. !he divinations revealed it all to me.

With si% of our little band left behind us in !ibet to pa# the eternal toll of our dash for thesouth we returned but twelve to the (onaster# and waited there two wee's to re7ad0ustourselves and learn how events would again set us afloat on this turbulent sea to steer foran# port that Destin# might indicate. !he officers enlisted in the detachment which wasthen being formed in (ongolia to fight against the destro#ers of their native land, the;olshevi'i. (# original companion and I prepared to continue our 0ourne# over(ongolian plains with whatever further adventures and dangers might come in thestruggle to escape to a place of safet#.

And now, with the scenes of that tr#ing march so vividl# recalled, I would dedicate thesechapters to m# gigantic, old and ruggedl# tried friend, the agronome, to m# Russianfellow7travelers, and especiall#, to the sacred memor# of those of our companions whose

bodies lie cradled in the sleep among the mountains of !ibet>"olonel &strovs'#,"aptains uboff and !uroff, +ieutenant Pisar0evs'#, "ossac' /ernigora and !artar(ahomed Spirin. Also here I e%press m# deep than's for help and friendship to thePrince of Sold0a', )ereditar# o#on !a +ama and to the 6ampo ?elong of arabanchi

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Sternberg$ Russian officers and refugees congregated in detachments, against which the"hinese authorities protested but which the (ongols welcomed$ the ;olshevi'i, worried

b# the formation of White detachments in (ongolia, sent their troops to the borders of(ongolia$ from Ir'uts' and "hita to 1liassutai and 1rga envo#s were running from the;olshevi'i to the "hinese commissioners with various proposals of all 'inds$ the "hinese

authorities in (ongolia were graduall# entering into secret relations with the ;olshevi'iand in 6ia'hta and 1lan'om delivered to them the Russian refugees, thus violatingrecognized international law$ in 1rga the ;olshevi'i set up a Russian communisticmunicipalit#$ Russian "onsuls were inactive$ Red troops in the region of 6osogol and thevalle# of the Selenga had encounters with Anti7;olshevi' officers$ the "hineseauthorities established garrisons in the (ongolian towns and sent punitive e%peditionsinto the countr#$ and, to complete the confusion, the "hinese troops carried out house7to7house searches, during which the# plundered and stole.

Into what an atmosphere we had fallen after our hard and dangerous trip along theenisei, through 1rianhai, (ongolia, the lands of the !urguts, 6ansu and 6o'o or@

Do #ou 'now, said m# old friend to me, I prefer strangling Partisans and fighting withthe hunghutze to listening to news and more an%ious news@

)e was right$ for the worst of it was that in this bustle and whirl of facts, rumours andgossip the Reds could approach troubled 1liassutai and ta'e ever#one with their barehands. We should ver# willingl# have left this town of uncertainties but we had no placeto go. In the north were the hostile Partisans and Red troops$ to the south we had alread#lost our companions and not a little of our own blood$ to the west raged the "hineseadministrators and detachments$ and to the east a war had bro'en out, the news of which,in spite of the attempts of the "hinese authorities at secrec#, had filtered through and had

testified to the seriousness of the situation in this part of &uter (ongolia. "onse8uentl#we had no choice but to remain in 1liassutai. )ere also were living several Polishsoldiers who had escaped from the prison camps in Russia, two Polish families and twoAmerican firms, all in the same plight as ourselves. We 0oined together and made ourown intelligence department, ver# carefull# watching the evolution of events. Wesucceeded in forming good connections with the "hinese commissioner and with the(ongolian Sait, which greatl# helped us in our orientation.

What was behind all these events in (ongolia< !he ver# clever (ongol Sait of 1liassutaigave me the following e%planation.

According to the agreements between (ongolia, "hina and Russia of &ctober 42, 2324,of &ctober 4G, 232G, and of Bune H, 232C, &uter (ongolia was accorded independenceand the (oral )ead of our 9 ellow :aith,9 )is )oliness the +iving ;uddha, became theSuzerain of the (ongolian people of 6hal'ha or &uter (ongolia with the title of 9;ogdoD0ebtsung Damba )utu'tu 6han.9 While Russia was still strong and carefull# watchedher polic# in Asia, the ?overnment of Pe'ing 'ept the treat#$ but, when, at the beginningof the war with ?erman#, Russia was compelled to withdraw her troops from Siberia,Pe'ing began to claim the return of its lost rights in (ongolia. It was because of this that

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the first two treaties of 2324 and 232G were supplemented b# the convention of 232C.)owever, in 232 , when all the forces of Russia were pre7occupied in the unsuccessfulwar and afterwards when the first Russian revolution bro'e out in :ebruar#, 232H,overthrowing the Romanoff D#nast#, the "hinese ?overnment openl# retoo' (ongolia.!he# changed all the (ongolian ministers and Saits, replacing them with individuals

friendl# to "hina$ arrested man# (ongolian autonomists and sent them to prison inPe'ing$ set up their administration in 1rga and other (ongol towns$ actuall# removed)is )oliness ;ogdo 6han from the affairs of administration$ made him onl# a machinefor signing "hinese decrees$ and at last introduced into (ongolia their troops. :rom thatmoment there developed an energetic flow of "hinese merchants and coolies into(ongolia. !he "hinese began to demand the pa#ment of ta%es and dues from 2324. !he(ongolian population were rapidl# stripped of their wealth and now in the vicinities ofour towns and monasteries #ou can see whole settlements of beggar (ongols living indugouts. All our (ongol arsenals and treasuries were re8uisitioned. All monasteries wereforced to pa# ta%es$ all (ongols wor'ing for the libert# of their countr# were persecuted$through briber# with "hinese silver, orders and titles the "hinese secured a following

among the poorer (ongol Princes. It is eas# to understand how the governing class, )is)oliness, 6hans, Princes, and high +amas, as well as the ruined and oppressed people,remembering that the (ongol rulers had once held Pe'ing and "hina in their hands andunder their reign had given her the first place in Asia, were definitel# hostile to the"hinese administrators acting thus. Insurrection was, however, impossible. We had noarms. All our leaders were under surveillance and ever# movement b# them toward anarmed resistance would have ended in the same prison at Pe'ing where eight# of our

obles, Princes and +amas died from hunger and torture after a previous struggle for thelibert# of (ongolia. Some abnormall# strong shoc' was necessar# to drive the peopleinto action. !his was given b# the "hinese administrators, ?eneral "heng i and ?eneral"hu "hi7hsiang. !he# announced that )is )oliness ;ogdo 6han was under arrest in hisown palace, and the# recalled to his attention the former decree of the Pe'ing?overnment>held b# the (ongols to be unwarranted and illegal>that )is )oliness wasthe last +iving ;uddha. !his was enough. Immediatel# secret relations were made

between the people and their +iving ?od, and plans were at once elaborated for theliberation of )is )oliness and for the struggle for libert# and freedom of our people. Wewere helped b# the great Prince of the ;uriats, D0am ;olon, who began parle#s with?eneral 1ngern, then engaged in fighting the ;olshevi'i in !ransbai'alia, and invitedhim to enter (ongolia and help in the war against the "hinese. !hen our struggle forlibert# began.

!hus the Sait of 1liassutai e%plained the situation to me. Afterwards I heard that ;aron1ngern, who had agreed to fight for the libert# of (ongolia, directed that themobilization of the (ongolians in the northern districts be forwarded at once and

promised to enter (ongolia with his own small detachment, moving along the River6erulen. Afterwards he too' up relations with the other Russian detachment of "olonel6azagrandi and, together with the mobilized (ongolian riders, began the attac' on 1rga.!wice he was defeated but on the third of :ebruar#, 2342, he succeeded in capturing thetown and replaced the +iving ;uddha on the throne of the 6hans.

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At the end of (arch, however, these events were still un'nown in 1liassutai. We 'newneither of the fall of 1rga nor of the destruction of the "hinese arm# of nearl# 2C,555 inthe battles of (aimachen on the shore of the !ola and on the roads between 1rga and1de. !he "hinese carefull# concealed the truth b# preventing an#bod# from passingwestward from 1rga. )owever, rumours e%isted and troubled all. !he atmosphere

became more and more tense, while the relations between the "hinese on the one sideand the (ongolians and Russians on the other became more and more strained. At thistime the "hinese "ommissioner in 1liassutai was Wang !sao7tsun and his advisor, :u)siang, both ver# #oung and ine%perienced men. !he "hinese authorities had dismissedthe 1liassutai Sait, the prominent (ongolian patriot, Prince "hultun ;e#le, and hadappointed a +ama Prince friendl# to "hina, the former /ice7(inister of War in 1rga.&ppression increased. !he searching of Russian officers9 and colonists9 houses and8uarters commenced, open relations with the ;olshevi'i followed and arrest and beatings

became common. !he Russian officers formed a secret detachment of si%t# men so thatthe# could defend themselves. )owever, in this detachment disagreements soon sprangup between +ieutenant7"olonel (. (. (ichailoff and some of his officers. It was evident

that in the decisive moment the detachment must separate into factions.

We foreigners in council decided to ma'e a thorough reconnaissance in order to 'nowwhether there was danger of Red troops arriving. (# old companion and I agreed to dothis scouting. Prince "hultun ;e#le gave us a ver# good guide>an old (ongol named!zeren, who spo'e and read Russian perfectl#. )e was a ver# interesting pe